Halo: Omega Team
by OmegaOfficial
Summary: NOTE: This is the first thing I have really ever written. Review as much as you want, to be honest, that's what I'm looking for. That aside, here's the actual summary. Omega Team is one group of some of the most elite ODSTs there are. What awaits them is for you to find out, but they could be the only thing standing between it and humanity. It's up to them to stop it.
1. Prologue: Omega's Union

_(I know that Omega is a Spartan-II Team from Halo: Wars, but, I reused the name. I had known this when I had the idea, but I forgot about it upon writing this. I'll be revising some of the chapters to make them easier to read, instead of being a giant blurb. This series is also 'Loosly' based on the storyline. I've overlooked details on purpose. I've also tweaked existing characters in my favor, to benefit the storyline. I know I asked for reviews, but don't go after me for story flaws. Chance is, I overlooked it on purpose, as stated previously.)_

**Prologue**

June 12, 2535. Camp Hathcock Planet REACH

A group of young children walk up the stairs to the base, and begin to look around, dazed and confused. Many of them were recently orphaned by Jericho VII, others from other colonies. As they look around the base, men with MA37 Assault Rifles stand guard at the encampment. Many of the children begin chattering, which is ignored as of now, considering the circumstances, but one remains silent. They are separated to several different tables, in groups of four. Some of the armed men walk around telling the groups names. One group chatters, the last to be picked out.  
A man steps forward, "Omega," he designates the group of children. They all look at him, confused as always, but go back to talking, mainly about wondering where in the world they are. Most don't even know what planet they're on. The one child still remains quiet. Again the men walk around, issuing a special set of clothing, with a nametag on it.  
"Hey, you talk?" One of the members of Omega says to the silent one.  
"No," She says, her voice hollow. Everyone stares for a moment, before the teenager clears his throat,  
"I'm Cole," The teenager says, the same one who addressed her before. He is much taller and thicker, muscle wise, than the rest of the kids, due to his age. His skin is a deep chocolate color.  
"I'm Rebekka, you can call me Beka," another girl in the group says. Beka is average height, with white skin and blonde hair. The hair is in a small ponytail.  
"Well, nice to meet you then, I'm Alyx," The other girl chirps out, being around Beka's height, with brunette hair that is let loose, and is quite long.  
"Taleah, call me T," The quiet one says, her face being covered in a bandana, tied like a messy balaclava, nothing is visible.  
"I'm guessing Omega is getting along just fine," One of the uniform giver's says with a slight chuckle, and Omega stares at him silently. "Get to your bunks, we'll be starting soon," They are then corralled out of the mess-hall, to the barracks.


	2. Chapter 1: A Long Day

**Chapter 1**

July 29, 2552 Location: airspace near New Alexandria, Planet REACH

Omega sits in a D77-TC, commonly called Pelican, heading to Camp Independence.  
"The air looks hostile," Beka chirps on the comms, unsure what to do.  
"You're the pilot, do somethin'!" Alyx replies, loading her MA37 with Armor Piercing rounds.  
"I'm tr-" a wave of heat flies over the passengers, and the Pelican begins a nose-dive towards the forest floor.  
"Damn it, I'm losing it, jump!" Beka says, as the ramp on the back slowly opens, and the ODSTs of Omega Team jump for it.

T hits a tree, and falls down, hitting branch at a time, and lands face first. She looks up, watching the rest of her team, and the Pelican, falling. T picks up her SRS99 Sniper Rifle, and stands up. On her HUD three green lights appear, their armor being experimental, similar to MJOLNIR, a lot of the functions are the same. T activates her own light, and heads for a NAV point set up by Niko, their combat instructor since they were young. T waits for the others to be there, and steps out last, making sure the area is clear.

"Damn T, why're you always late?" Alyx asks, messing around.  
"Not the time Alyx, listen up, we're in deep with no cover. We need to get to New Alexandria, pronto," Niko says, and they move.

T climbs a tree, sitting in the branches, watching the team advance. Once they are so far ahead, she jumps to another tree, to its respective branches, and repeats. _This'll be a long day…_ She thinks, as she jumps to another tree, lining up her sights again, surveying, readying for another jump.


	3. Chapter 2: So It Begins

Chapter 2

August 22, 2552 Location: New Alexandria, Planet REACH

After being in New Alexandria for some time, Omega finally feels boredom catching up. Some of them become restless. Others attempt to participate in activities with other marines to entertain themselves. In the middle of one of these games, a marine darts from inside one of the complexes.  
"To arms! The Covenant are here!" He yells, as he slaps a clip into his MA37. Omega assembles, and they look at each other.  
"Alright, you know the drill, kill the ugly ones, and, before you ask, if there's any pretty ones kill those assholes too," Niko orders, in his usual sarcastic manner.  
"Does that mean we can shoot Alyx?" Beka asks.  
"Beka, please, do us all a favor, and shut the fuck up," Niko replies gruffly.  
After a moment, it hits Alyx, "Hey!" she calls. Everyone but T laughs, as T is focused. Omega loads up, having to go get their scattered weapons. T is already loaded and ready, and begins riding an elevator up one of the skyscrapers.  
"T, I want you on the ground after doing a recon, got it?" Niko crackles over the com. She activates her green acknowledgement light, as she reaches the top. T looks down, seeing civilians walking around as if it were a normal day.  
Alyx must have been seeing it as well as she asks, "Hey, Niko, think we could clear the civvies? I mean, look at 'em, they'll be killed."  
"No, we can't, not yet. We don't have evac setup yet, so let's let them alone for now," Niko replies, after a long hesitation.

August 23, 2552

Omega walks the streets, looking for something to fight, but to no avail.  
"Hey, Omega, the Bullfrogs are somewhere around here, they could use you," A marine calls over to them.  
"Thanks, soldier, will do," Niko replies, as he does the most talking.  
"Bullfrogs, bullfrogs… Aw, c'mon. I know those guys, I prefer flying vehicles, not damn jetpacks," Rebekka says to Niko. T chuckles slightly, but she feels the same. T hates jetpacks, they're too dangerous, and she's not necessarily a moving shooter. She prefers moving targets.  
"Whoa, look at that thing!" Alyx says, looking up and seeing two halves of a Super-Carrier fall into the nearby mountain.  
"Jesus," Beka says. After everyone stops for a moment, Niko speaks up.  
"C'mon, we got an objective, we'd best complete it." They begin moving through Traxus Tower.  
"I think the Bullfrogs are right past this elevator," Beka guesses, then a large crash is heard, along with a lot of civilian panic.  
"Shit, brutes, ever-" a marine crackles over the coms, before cut off with a scream.  
"Positions! T, guard the elevator!" Niko orders. T sets up her bipod on one of the ammo crates, and looks around.  
"Hey, you're T, right?" a marine behind T asks. She nods, never taking her eyes off the area around her.  
"Well, I heard you got it good with Spartans. In the way that they respect you, so I thought you'd want to know Noble Six is in town," the marine continues.  
Hearing that, T turns and looks at him a moment, and looks back to the environment. _Noble? Oh god, we're in deep…_ T thinks, as a brute's head pops over the stairs. Before anyone, or the brute, can react T shoots an AP round from her SRS99 into its eye. Most snipers are told to never aim for the head, but T prefers it, because it breaks elite's shields and kills them. It isn't her first run with the Covenant.  
"Nice shot T," Beka calls, from the upper walkway. Moments after the first brute's body rolled down the stairs, about twenty of them come up each respective stairway.  
"Holy shit!" Alyx yells, and throws a frag. T shoots the other three rounds of her sniper, each a kill shot. She reloads with extreme precision, never missing a beat. Beka fires her M392 Designated Marksman Rifle, commonly called DMR. A brute charges at her, and swings the brutal blades of the Spiker at her, she ducks, and rolls down the stairs. She lands on her back, but continues firing, eventually killing the behemoth. The marines, T, and Cole finish off the rest. Cole fires a few grenade launcher shots, finishing most of them.  
Over the radio, they hear from the marine that guided them to the Bullfrogs, "Spartan, where the hell'd he come from!?" Every ODST of Omega team looked at each other, even T looked up.  
"Looks like we got a relief force. Continue holding this position, the Spartan probably wants to hook up with the Bullfrogs too," Niko orders, waiting for brutes, or the Spartan, to make an appearance.


	4. Chapter 3: Saved by a Spartan

**Chapter 3  
**August 23, 2552 Location: New Alexandria Planet REACH

T holds her aim on the stairs. Suddenly an IFF tag appears near the entrance.  
"You guys are seeing that too, right?" Alyx says, from her position to the right of T.  
"Yeah, 312. Noble Six," Niko replies.  
"Well, call me Lady Luck, we just got our asses saved by a Spartan, guys," Cole jokes. Then a large explosion is heard outside.  
"Cole, with me, let's go. T, Alyx, Beka, greet our Spartan," Niko orders, and they head outside.  
"Report?" Beka asks over the COM.  
"Phantoms moving in, get Six out here once he gets there," Niko tells her, audible gunfire in the background.  
T keeps her eye on the stairs, and the IFF tag walks up where she's aiming. She looks up from her scope. _I'll be damned._ She thinks, looking at him.  
"Spartan, good to see you, Niko needs some help outside, we'll handle it here," Alyx squeaks, almost in shock from the sheer size of him. He simply nods and goes to assist.  
"Once a lone wolf, always a lone wolf," one marine says, and laughs, before getting a needle lodged in-between his eyes.  
"Damn, sniper!" Beka yells.  
"At least the poor guy died laughing," Alyx says, before turning and looking for the sniper.  
"Spotted, firing," T calls, her voice icy cold as always.  
"Her voice always creep you guys out too?" Cole says, stepping inside, holstering his M319 Grenade Launcher. A single shot rings out, followed by a thud, no cry of pain. The armor-clad Spartan steps in, looking at her, he simply nods, before another explosion rocks the tower.  
"Let's go," Six says, pressing the button, opening the elevator. T reloads her SRS99, and holsters it, drawing her DMR. In the elevator, everyone seems to be sizing up the Spartan.  
"Jeez, and I thought _I_ made T look short, this guy..," Cole jokes, and the Spartan looks at him.  
Niko clears his throat, "Six, this is Omega, I'm Niko. That's Alyx, Beka, Cole, and T." Six looks at them all, and nods to T.  
"Nice shooting back there, I thought I recognized your armor." T nods back, not at all surprised, but the rest of the ODSTs' mouths drop in their helmets.  
"You two know each other?" Beka asks, bewildered.  
"Yeah, saved me a while back, the reason I'm not in a grave with the rest of Beta Company," Six answers. If he didn't have a polarized faceplate, Beka would've sworn he was smiling.  
"Hey, I think this is our stop," Alyx says, "Next stop, well, god can't answer that fuckin' question. Who knows where this war'll go?" They all leave the elevator, walking towards another group of ODSTs.  
"Alright, T has met her old friend, now I get to meet mine…" Niko says, with a pinge of reluctance in his voice.  
"Spartan, you up for jumpin'? We got some extra jetpacks for ya," The leader says, noticing Niko he nods.  
"Good to see you again, hope y'all are ready." Niko laughs. "I think my entire squad is, except T."  
T scoffs, donning the jetpack. She watches the others jump, and sighs. _Next time I'm offered a jetpack, I'll tell them to catch me later, that I'll find a way around… Around to the base, or my grave. _She thinks, as she runs forward, floating effortlessly behind everyone.


	5. Chapter 4: Jetpacks and Jiralhanae

**Chapter 4**

August 23, 2552 Location: New Alexandria Planet REACH

Omega, the Bullfrogs, and Six make their way over the large gap in the shipping docks. T is slightly sluggish, but she's always in the back of the group when it comes to moving in a formation. Once on the other side, she keeps the jetpack on, just in case the burst of speed is needed.  
"Weapons free, fire at everything that ain't human," Niko crackles over the com, as T sits in a shaded area with her DMR.  
"Does that mean we can shoot the floor?" Beka asks.  
"Beka, again? Just shut the fuck up, not the time," Niko says to her, a bit annoyed at the smartass remark.  
"For the record, she HAS a point," Cole says to Niko.  
"Fuck YOU Cole, focus on the battle and make things go Boom-boom." Niko says. Cole slows a minute, hurt.  
The area is too close-quarters for her sniper, so T just picks them off at medium-short range. She hears large footsteps behind her, and she spins, firing a shot. She misses, as a Brute Chieftain swings a Type-2 Energy Weapon, or Gravity Hammer at her. The gravity pulse sends her flying, the shockwave making her nearly lose consciousness. She lands chest-first, and slides a few feet. The Chieftain charges, and she picks up a nearby Fusion Coil, and attaches it to her jetpack, and sticks the controls to it. The jetpack flies at it, and explodes, killing it instantly.  
"Points for wingin' it, T!" Cole yells, killing two with a single M319 shot.  
"Showoff," Alyx says, loading her shotgun, running forward, she shoots, but misses. The brute swings the Type-25 Spiker at her, but T fires the DMR into its eye. "How the HELL… do you miss… with a fucking shotgun!?" Cole asks, bewildered by the stupidity.  
"Alright Omega, get it the fuck together, let's move. T, you alright?" Niko orders, then asks. T nods, rolling her shoulders. They continue moving, and they exit the tower.  
"Watch the roofs for sniper-" The marine warning them gets blasted by a Type-52 Special Applications Rifle, or a Focus Rifle, named after the focused beam of plasma.  
"Damn, see, Cole, this is where being a hypocrite'll get you," Alyx says, dragging the Marine into cover.  
"T, can you get a bead on him?" Niko asks, looking out as much as he dares. T shakes her head, and the beam fires, catching her in the leg.  
"Damn!" She yells, ducking back into cover, but not for long. She sticks her barrel out from the wall, and fires.  
"Down," T comments, holstering the rifle, and the team comprised of teams moves forward. About forty to fifty brutes line the area in front of them.  
"Hoooly shiiiit," Cole says, "Sargy-G, I don't think I brought enough ammo." Sargy-G being the nickname for Niko, him being a Gunnery Sargent.  
"Yeah, I don't think we _have_ enough ammo period," he replies, quite annoyed. Beka takes a step forward.  
"Sir, with all due respect, we got knives for a reason, and we have a fucking Spartan for Pete's sake. We'll make due," T backs her up by cocking her newly loaded Sniper Rifle.  
"Alright, you die, it's your fault. That goes for everyone," Niko says, loading his own weapon. "Let's go."


	6. Chapter 5: Got Knives For a Reason

**Chapter 5**

August 23, 2552 Location: New Alexandria Planet REACH

Beka and Alyx charge first into the large group of brutes, immediately firing and getting fired upon. T sets up her bipod, and begins firing. Cole fires his Grenade Launcher wherever there are no friendlies. The large explosions wipe out or injure most of the brutes it hits. T's sniper rounds kill brutes every few seconds, making life easier. Then, life gets harder as she runs out of ammo.  
"I'm out." She calls, drawing her DMR. After firing a few rounds, the clip is exhausted, and she reaches for a new clip. She feels nothing, then looks down.  
_That fucking brute… This is where most people would say I'll kill that fucker, but that's already been done…_ She thinks, dropping the rifle, and grabbing her knife. She runs into the fight, efficiently dodging melee swings, and countering with knife stabs. The rest of them are fighting at extreme close quarters. Six shoulders his MA37, and draws his own knife, stabbing a brute, and grabbing the gravity hammer from T's Chieftain friend. He swings, killing about four of them with a single swing. A brute's body flies at T, she ducks, and it flies over her, as she narrowly parries a Spiker's lethal blade nearing her jugular. She kicks the brute in the stomach, following up with a knife to the eye. Beka continues firing her assault rifle.  
"Jesus Christ, do you guys eat bullets for lunch or something? Your skin must have formed small mouths or something, because you won't just fucking die!" She screams, firing clip after clip.  
"Leave it to Beka to say the most random fucking thing in the world, in the heat of a mini-war," Alyx calls over to her, blasting another away with the shotgun. The Bullfrogs stick together, blasting anything that gets close, almost hitting Niko a few times. He continually fires with his Assault rifle.  
"Alright, I'm getting bored… Eat shit and die!" Niko yells, a maniacal laugh following. He fires his M41 Rocket Launcher into a group a little too close. Before long, they're all dead.  
"Hah, I told you we got knives for a reason!" Beka says, with a long laugh.  
"Yeah, you also told us we could shoot the floor," Cole says.  
"Hey, you backstabber!" Beka calls, then they laugh.  
"Omega, get serious, let's go," Niko orders, they gather up their weapons, and move on.


	7. Chapter 6: Another Injury

**Chapter 6**

August 23, 2552 Location: New Alexandria Planet REACH

Omega and their temporary allies continue moving up to Six's objective.  
"Targets, up ahead," one of the Bullfrogs calls out.  
"Roger, weapons free," Niko replies, flipping his rifle up to his shoulder. A crescendo of MA37 fire rings out, targets dropping, soon it stops.  
"I'm out," the same Bullfrog says.  
"Right, pool the ammo to the Spartan, he'll fare much better. Give DMR ammo to T, though," Niko orders.  
They follow these said orders, and everyone hangs back, letting the Spartan go first.  
"T, you're up, take 'em out," Niko tells her, patting her on the back. She simply nods, climbs up into a window, and sits on the window sill, four shots ring out, and everyone guesses four KIA's. Many more shots begin ringing out quickly, before a green explosion engulfs her, the indication of a Fuel Rod Cannon, she falls back, falling down about a story of the building, landing flat on the ground. Her DMR slides towards the team, and Beka acts first, sliding to it, picking it up, and firing at grunts.  
"Grab her, now!" She yells, barely avoiding a needle. Bullfrog's squad leader and Niko grab T and pull her back behind cover. "How bad?" Beka calls.  
"Not good!" Niko yells back, pulling the only remaining canister of biofoam, and applying it to T's chest-stomach area. She coughs, and doubles over, but manages to lean on what's left of the concrete barrier.  
"You good?" Niko asks, ducking under a plasma pistol round. She weakly nods, before her head lolls over to the side, out cold.  
"She's out, we'll deal without her. I'll carry her, cover our move, Beka!" Niko orders, picking T up and settling in a crouch.  
"Go, now!" Beka yells. Niko bolts as fast as he can to the wall, hugging the building. He puts T down, and looks to Beka.  
"The Spartan's almost done, I'm just handling the stragglers," she says, already knowing the question. Beka's firing stops, and she turns the weapon on its side, turning the safety on. "Clear," she calls, jogging to the others.  
"We're going for Independence now. Got it?" Niko tells Omega. Everyone left awake nods, and Cole helps Niko lift T, walking to the Pelican. They all watch the Spartan in the Falcon fly off.  
"Omega, we'll tag along. We got buddies in Independence that could use a friendly face," He jokes. They all sit in the Pelican, a marine medic looks at T.  
"It's bad, I don't know if she'll live, to be honest," she says to the others.  
"Damn it, T, you aren't dying from one shot. It's not happening," Alyx says, more or less to herself. The Pelican lifts off, flying towards Independence.


	8. Chapter 7: Innie, Meet T, T, Meet Innie

**Chapter 7**

January 14, 2540 Location: Camp Hathcock Planet REACH

Omega moves around the base, wondering what to do.  
"Hey, Beka, you been following up on that lead?" Cole asks, breaking the silence.  
"No, not really. I can't find anything really, but if we're getting a new squad leader, that's fine by me," she replies.  
"Hey, what's wrong with me?" Alyx yells, hearing it.  
"Nothing, Alyx. You just don't have the leadership property, to be honest. You're too headstrong at times," Beka says, as if she was trying to put it lightly.  
"Yeah, she is right," Cole says, and Alyx just shrugs, and laughs a bit.  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
The PA crackles to life, "Omega Team, report to the courtyard immediately." Without a word, they move, T tightens her bandana, and stands up. Once they reach the courtyard, they salute the current commander, Commander Jackson.  
"At ease, Omega. Your training session begins today, report to the training armory, and grab what you need, then report back to me." They all nod, and begin a sluggish jog over to the armory.  
"Even if we just get stun rounds, I still get to blow some shit up." Cole says, laughing almost maniacally. Once everyone has their respective weapons, they report back to Jackson. She nods to each one of them.  
"Loadouts?" she asks, meaning for them to tell her the weapons they have. In T's case, she shows her.  
"MA37 Assault Rifle, M6C Magnum PD, with two Frags," Beka says, being first in line, Alyx is next.  
"M90 Shotgun, MA37 Assault Rifle. Two Frags." Commander Jackson continues down the line, Cole is next.  
"M319 Grenade Launcher, M6C Magnum PD. Five frags," he says with a smile.  
"Moving on, T, show your gear," Jackson says.  
T shows her SRS99, and her sidearm, an M6S Magnum PD, similar to a normal magnum, but outfitted with a suppressor. No Frags are visible, noticing Jackson looking, T shakes her head.  
"Alright, get in the Pelican, I'll brief you for the training on the way," she says, pointing to the Pelican.  
"Ma'am, you're riding with us?" Cole asks in disbelief.  
"Yes, for many more reasons than you know, I'll explain once we're on board, get moving!" she orders. Omega half jogs, half runs to the Pelican. The Pelican lifts off, flying above the forest encompassing the camp.  
"Okay, Omega. The reason I am personally talking to you, is because you're the best soldiers I've ever seen, besides Spartans, of course. I can't promote you to SPARTAN Class, but I can promote you to ODSTs, this is a test, you'll be facing ODSTs, some of the best I know of. Be prepared for a loss, if you lose, I'll still be considering your promotion. Get ready to jump, we're near your drop. Objective: Eliminate them, and secure the area," she says, signaling the pilot.  
"Helmets on, check chutes!" Alyx calls. T dons her helmet, activating the HUD.  
"Ready," they all call, nearly in unison.  
"Wait for green," Alyx orders, then a green light appears. "Jump Omega!" she yells, as they all jump, opening their chutes just before the ground to minimize their presence. All green lights wink on T's HUD, including her own.  
"T, get your head in the clouds, I want to know where they are," Alyx tells her, meaning to get in a tree, and look around. She does this, climbing a large pine with no problem at all.  
"Base, near," T says over the radio, her voice smooth as ice.  
"Roger, let's get moving, stay separate, make sure you can't see each other," she orders, as T drops from the tree.  
T moves silently through the brush, finding a small hill. A green light winks on everyone else's HUD, meaning she's in position. Three wink back, as she sets up the Bipod. Omega steps up to the outer walls of the "base", it being an old building used for the exercise.  
"Permission to engage, on T," Alyx orders, and everyone gets ready. A crack from T's sniper is heard, and everyone moves into the base systematically. They get in a gunfight with some of the ODSTs, exchanging gunfire. T thins them out, loading with extreme precision, a trait she'll never lose.  
"Clear!" Cole calls, "Man, I've always wanted to say that."  
T lays on the ground, still scanning, when she hears something behind her, she spins around with her M6S, but it's kicked away, a knife lands in her leg, and she is kicked. Dazed, she looks up, seeing the attacker is no ODST, but an insurrectionist. Her helmet slips off, as she's dragged away.  
"T, everything clear?" After a moment, there's no response. "T? Respond, even if it's not clear, respond. That's an order!" No response again.  
"Trouble," Beka says, standing.  
"Beka, go check it out, keep your radio on," Alyx orders. Beka replies with a nod, and running off to the hill. Seeing spent cartridges lining the ground, and T's helmet, Beka calls over the radio,  
"T's in trouble, she left a trace at least, spent cartridges and her helmet."  
"Use the helmet to track her armor, Beka, we're on our way," Alyx says, as Beka fiddles with it. She collects T's spent casings, moving towards where the helmet is showing her where to go. Beka steps over a ridge, looking down at T.  
"Shit, we don't have the ammo for this, literally, stun rounds won't do a thing," Beka says, knowing Alyx is looking through her helmet-feed. T is chained to two posts, leaning forward, due to gravity. She looks up at her attacker.  
"Huh, looks like we rounded up a marine, not an ODST, whatever, you'll be easier to crack," he says with a mischievous smile,  
"Who are you?" T does not reply. "I said, who the fuck are you?" he asks, anger in his voice, as he backhands her, attempting interrogation. "I can do much worse than this," He says, with a devilish smile. He reaches for a Shock Baton, something Omega knows of well. He jabs her in the stomach repeatedly with it.  
"You seem to have secrets of your own," he says, reaching for the bandana covering her face. In a split second, the chains break, and she wraps them around his neck, effectively breaking it.  
"Damn, you guys seeing this?" Beka asks, only green lights are the reply, as they are speechless. T dodges gunfire, using the chains as weapons, driving off the Innies, but not after catching a bullet or two, in non-lethal areas. She collapses, looking up.  
"Move in, now Beka, we're almost to you," Alyx orders, but Beka was already sprinting to her. She slides into a kneel by her, T coughs slightly, looking at her.  
"Fine," T says, indicating that she's okay, as she sits up. Jackson's Pelican, always watching, lands near them.  
"Damn, we didn't see this, I'm sorry Omega. At least you made it out in one piece," Jackson says, helping T to her feet. On the Pelican, an ODST steps out.  
"Pleased to meet you, Omega," he says, also helping T, "You'll do fine, under my command, you need an already trained ODST as your squad leader, so, I'm here to help. Name's Niko," he calls over the open channel, laying T on a few of the Pelican's seats, helping the others onto the Pelican.  
"Pilot, back to base, now!" Jackson yells, looking at T. The image of Jackson fades away, as T looks up into Beka's Air Assault faceplate.


	9. Chapter 8: An Old Friend

**Chapter 8**

August 23, 2552 Location: Near Camp Independence Planet REACH

"T, hang in there," Beka says, the words echoing in T's ears. She groans slightly, the pain finally catching up.  
"The biofoam's wearing off, she's actually feeling pain," Beka calls.  
"Beka, NOT the time goddamn it," Niko yells at her.  
"We're nearing the camp, three mikes," the pilot calls.  
"Hear that T, three mikes," Beka says, T rolls around slightly.  
The Pelican lowers, and lands, Niko picks her up, and basically sprints for the infirmary.  
"She's hit, Fuel Rod I think," Niko tells the doctor, and the medics begin to gather materials. "She'd better live," Niko says with a low growl to a medic, stepping out of the building.  
"I think she'll be alright, we'd best stop worrying, let's get debriefed," Niko orders, with a wave, walking off.  
"Actually, Omega, you've got a job. You've got a Vice Admiral to save," Admiral Whitcomb says, stepping near them. "Which one?" Niko asks.  
"An old friend to you Omega kids," Whitcomb says with a laugh, walking off.  
"Omega, get in my bird, I already have the coordinates," the pilot who brought them in calls. Omega walks over.  
"I don't like this shit, we've only played one down once, and we all know where that went," Beka says.  
"Yeah, I got my hands on a lot of explosives, and a lot of kills," Cole says with a crazy laugh.  
"Cole, no," Beka says. The Pelican lifts off. They fly over the forests, eventually flying over a familiar place.  
"This is where the ODSTs were all those years ago…" Alyx says, leaning out of her seat.  
"This is your stop, ODSTs, time to jump, I-" The pilot falls silent, and Beka runs to the front.  
"She's dead, I'll handle the bird, jump!" Beka yells, gaining control, pushing the pilot's body out gently. The rest of the team jumps out of the bird. They all land with precision, firing, offering support to the pinned UNSC.  
"Thanks Soldiers, good to see you again," a familiar voice calls.  
"Jackson?" Beka asks over the COM.  
"Yeah, it's me, again, I can't think you enough. Where's your sniper?" Vice-Admiral Jackson asks over the com.  
"Injured, focus on the battle," an annoyed Niko replies, picking off targets. Two hunter pairs appear, blasting the ODST team, one blast hits the Pelican.  
"Jumping for it!" Beka yells, falling through trees. She crawls to her feet, joining the others.  
"How many times in a week are you gonna get shot down, Beka?" Cole asks.  
"Cole, again, you're talking, shut up," Niko says.  
"What do we do?" Alyx asks.  
"Shoot the fuck out of it, my only plan," Niko orders, firing at it blindly, the others join. The hunters advance, but four sniper shots are heard, and the heavy footsteps are quieted. Everyone stands up, and looks around.  
"Looked like you needed help," T says over the com.  
"Holy shit, first she saves our asses after an injury that should've killed her, then she says the longest sentence ever, I am FUCKING HIGH," Cole says in disbelief.  
"I think we all are, or it's just true," Niko says.  
"T brought transport," The Bullfrogs say, with a brief chuckle. Everyone gets in the Pelican, exchanging greetings.  
"T, how the hell are you standing? You should be in a coma," Niko asks, confused.  
"You shouldn't be surprised, Niko. You've been with her all these years, remember Sigma Octanus?" Jackson asks, sitting beside Niko.  
"Er, with all due respect, sir, no one knows about Octanus, it was classified," Niko says, looking at her.  
"Hm, that's odd, I guess I figured out before ONI did, either way, it'll have to wait, we're almost at the base, maybe I can tell you a few of T's stories while you're waiting for your next assignment," Jackson says, standing.  
"Don't you have other stuff to do, like paperwork or other shit, rather than sit and tell stories?" Cole asks, standing behind Niko.  
"I have the freedom to do many things, Cole," Jackson says, everyone following her single-file. "We still have to be debriefed," Jackson follows up.  
"This'll be fun," Beka mutters to T, and T nods.


	10. Chapter 9: Sigma Octanus IV

**Chapter 9**

August 27, 2552 Location: Camp Independence Planet REACH

T sits on a pile of sandbags, spares from a new turret emplacement. She checks her ammo, loading a few shots.  
"Omega, over here," Vice-Admiral Jackson calls. "I promised you a story or two, T, you can join if you want."  
T shrugs, and follows, as she has nothing better to do.  
"This is T's story, earlier this year, you know she was pulled for a small op, it went a little like this," Jackson begins.

July 17, 2552 Location: Small sub-city near Côte d'Azur Planet Sigma Octanus IV

T drops into the battle, no team, and her only orders are to save a few "important" soldiers. She easily guesses that the "important" soldiers are of SPARTAN class. That suits her fine, as it's a simple order, but something tells her it isn't going to be that simple. Never is. She jumps out of her Drop Pod, firing a few M6S Magnum shots into a few Grunts and Jackals.  
"Good to see you, soldier, now, join us!" an ODST yells, firing at a small squad of Grunts. T ignores this, as she has her own orders. T runs through the combat, dodging blasts and needles, killing anything that gets close. Running, she sees a small group of Spartans getting overrun. _Spartans?_ She thinks, raising her Sniper Rifle, _Of course I was right, when aren't I? _T begins by picking off an elite sneaking up behind the one wearing black. She kills off more of Elites, but there are too many, and three of the four Spartans are killed like nothing. T runs forward, tackling an Elite, and grabbing its Type-1 Energy Weapon, commonly known as an Energy Sword. She stabs the fallen Elite, and begins swinging at the others, as the Spartan recovers, he assists. T grabs her pistol, firing at anything that moves, and swinging at anything that gets close. Soon, all the heat is off of them, focusing on the main battle.  
"Thanks," the Spartan says. T nods. "Mike, 312, you?" He says, as they jog to help the others, unscathed at losing his squad-mates only minutes before.  
"T, 10674-34163-B." She says, killing a Grunt that attacks a reloading marine. The marine yells a 'thank you' but T ignores it. Mike falls quiet, and they begin fighting off the force.  
"Blue, Red and Green teams are in position, time to pull out," a voice crackles over their coms. Regrettably, T, Mike, and the rest of the UNSC forces begin to retreat, but Spirits, Phantoms, and Banshees fly over, attacking them.  
"C'mon, let's move!" Mike yells, and T along with a few marines follow, while many of the soldiers are being demolished by the air support. The small mismatched group of survivors dives into a cave, which leads into a large tunnel system. Everyone huddles together, weapons aimed, quiet. A few of the marines shake in fear, but Mike and T stay extremely still. Soon only silence is heard outside, and they finally relax.  
"My God, what the hell just happened?" The only female marine asks, seemingly the most calm out of all the marines.  
"They were probably reading our coms, and were waiting for us to retreat, or act in some other way. I told them we needed air support," Mike says, checking his ammo. "Alright, we're going to be here a while, so I guess we should learn each other's names. I'm Lieutenant Michael, Spartan 312 of Beta Company, this is T."  
T looks up. "10674-34163-B, Sargeant, Omega Team," She says, not missing a beat, going back to checking her ammo, and making micro adjustments to her SRS99's scope.  
"Jamie DiLoreto," The same female marine says, "Private 1st class, Axel Squad. We're all from Axel, at least, those of us that have survived."  
Another marine steps forward, "Isaac Michaelson. Lance Corporal," He says, his voice shaking with fear.  
The final marine stands up, basically in shock of what just happened. "Lucas Chuun, Lance Corporal," He says, taking his turn, picking up his DMR.  
"Where's your Squad Leader?" Mike asks, knowing Lance Corporals won't lead a squad.  
"Dead, that's why everyone else is so whacked out, the guy was a legend among our camp," Jamie says.  
"Hm, well, you're under my command now. Let's take a look outside," Mike says, taking point.  
"312, you know that guy's a lone wolf, right? He NEVER works with teams, he'll probably lead us to death," Isaac whispers hoarsely, to Jamie, and T overhears, but says nothing.  
"Yeah, but that's T, best sniping marks in the UNSC, she's beaten all the Spartans also," Jamie replies. "Wow, maybe we will survive, even if 312 isn't the best team-player," Lucas says.  
"Quiet," Mike orders, and everyone falls into silence. Everyone peeks out, and there is a flash in the distance.  
"HAVOK! Get down!" Mike yells, as the shockwave, followed by an EMP, hits them. All of their HUDs, ammo counters, and other electronics instantly fry. T hangs onto a rock, not even flinching, but doing quite the opposite. She steps out into the open, grabbing a flare from her belt.  
"T, what the hell-" Mike asks, but then he notices a Pelican turning. "Oh," he says, and nods to the marines that are recovering.  
"See, told you we'd live," Jamie says, barely even believing herself. The Pelican is quite far, and a small group of Covenant stragglers from the small battle spot them before the Pelican gets to them.  
"Damn, we have a fight, get ready," Mike says, taking cover. Plasma flies over their heads, and T sets up her bipod, firing shot after shot, killing them efficiently, and reloading in the same fashion.  
"Axel, stick together!" Jamie yells, getting hammered, as she knows the ODST and Spartan can handle themselves. T continues firing, killing those who fall under to categories: Not being fired at, and doing a lot of damage to the 'team'. The team is doing quite well, so not many fall under either category. There are enough targets that do fall under those categories to entertain her, though. The Pelican's engines blare overhead, along with the Vulcan Minigun on the back. As T pulls the bolt back on her Sniper, she stands backpedaling into the Pelican's ramp, firing. Mike does the same, as the marines struggle to walk onto the Pelican. T gets grazed by a bolt of plasma, sitting down and using the ramp for cover. She looks around, and realizes instead of being in a different class than the marines, she's in quite the same, surrounded by Spartans. Sizing them up, and looking at their insignias, she easily picks them out; Blue, Red, and Green teams.  
"Thanks for the ride," Jamie says, taking a seat.  
"No problem," One of the Blue Team Spartans says, and T recognizes the voice easily, from Beka's many snooping 'operations'. Kelly is her name, the fastest Spartan, human at that, to live. The others she guesses to be John, Linda, and so on. She eventually finds it easy to pass time by guessing which name goes to which person. She remains silent as always, waiting to get to her team on Reach.

_(Finally! This chapter took FOREVER to save, once I revised it. This is the final one I did, so the ones ahead of this'll be "fixed" as well.)_


	11. Chapter 10: Halsey's Interest

**Chapter 10**

August 27, 2552 Location: Camp Independence Planet REACH

Jackson ends her story, looking at the group.  
"Impressed? That's not her most amazing feat either, but, you get the point. That's how T knows Spartans, and Spartans know T," Jackson says, looking between the soldiers of Omega. Everyone turns and looks at T, and she modestly shrugs.  
"Jesus, T, how come you never said anything?" Cole asks.  
"Cole, really?" Beka says, with a glare.  
"Oh, sorry, in all seriousness, I was caught up in the story," Cole replies with an honest look.  
"Jesus, you can be an idiot," Beka says to him.  
"Yes, I can be. Anyways, why is this censored by ONI?" Cole asks shifting on the small stool he's sitting on.  
"It's SPARTAN class stuff, almost everything marked SPARTAN is black inked," Jackson says, standing, "Story-time's over, get to your barracks." Everyone stands up, and nods.  
"T, not you. C'mere, I gotta show you something." Jackson says with a wave. T tilts her head, and then follows. The rest of Omega heads to their respective bunks. "T, I hope you know, Halsey is trying to 'recruit' you. Halsey may not run the show with SPARTAN-III anymore, but she's still looking for candidates for reasons unknown. She has taken an interest in you, with good reason. There's a new program also, that's been being thought of. I shouldn't be telling you this, but, you'll never squeal. It's called SPARTAN-IV. This means you can become a Spartan without reaching the requirements. Remember that Halsey remembers you from that op in 2539. I hope you're ready for what lies ahead at your new base. There will be no backup for our ship. The ship's the _Spirit of the Inferno_. She's well equipped with soldiers and munitions. We'll be deep into enemy lines, so remember this: keep your friends close, but your rifle closer." Jackson concludes with a smile, "Get to your bunk, double time it." T nods, and jogs to the barracks. She lays back, her SRS99 laying on the floor beside her. She falls into sleep not long after.


	12. Chapter 11: Taleah

**Chapter 11**

February 10, 2535 Location: Jericho VII

_Fire. Fire is all I see. All around me, engulfing everything I ever knew.  
"Mom! Dad!" I call into the smoke, I cough violently. I walk forward, hearing a familiar voice,  
"Die you bastard! You won't touch my family!" I step into the room and I see a beam of light stab straight through my father's chest.  
"No!" I yell, though the sound of my father's own scream muffles it. _

_I see my mother pick up our pistol, but her hand is chopped off, and she is decapitated. I stand in shock, not moving, unable to speak. I see what killed them, something that dwarfed them in size, walk out of my house. The house begins burning to the ground. After a while, I step over to my parents' bodies, looking at them, tears bellowing out of my eyes like a broken dam. I try to speak, but I am unable. The only thing that comes is tears. Several hours later, after the sun goes down, I finally leave the house. Only about thirty seconds after leaving the door, I throw up, emptying the contents of the last thing my mother ever cooked onto the backyard. I hear footsteps, and I turn, four large figures step toward me. I react on instinct, grabbing a metal pole that was lying next to me, from part of our now collapsing house. I swing it, and then I stab the figure, it drives straight through the first figure. It drops a small piece of metal I recognize as a gun, I use it as a bat on the second figure, and I shoot one shot into the third one. I aim at the fourth, I seize up, unable to move, my muscles twitching uncontrollably. The figure is finally visible in the low light, I recognize him as a soldier, and almost say "sorry" before passing out. _

_Darkness is now all I see, but I hear my parents' voices, calling my name,  
"Taleah, come here. Taleah, c'mon you're gonna miss your big day! It's your birthday!"  
Something snaps inside me, the name "Taleah" becomes dead to me, as I am no longer her. I  
am a monster, I've killed men who only want to help me.  
I've thrown away values that I meant to hold onto forever.  
I am no longer human.  
I am something else.  
I am T._


	13. Chapter 12: The True Beginning

**Chapter 12**

August 28, 2552 Location: Camp Independence Planet REACH

T sits up, after the dream-turned memory. She looks around the room, realizing she's up extremely early, even by marine standards. The memory still hangs in her mind. She attempts to dispel it with a shrug. She grabs her SRS99, and exits the barracks. She heads to the armory, and once inside she sees Vice-Admiral Jackson.  
"Oh, hello there, T," Jackson says with a nod, "I believe these are yours." Jackson hands her two M7 Sub Machine Guns, built specially to accept many attachments. T looks at her with a quizzical look.  
"I know you used these a while back, I found them in a salvage box from one of the battles. I figured you'd want them because you don't really have a close range weapon other than your pistol," Jackson answers. T accepts the weapons, and attaches them to her magnetized leg plates. She walks over to a small rucksack full of cloth, leather, metal, in short, the basic stuff. After rummaging through it, she finds an old magnetizing plate.  
"Plan on keeping the M6S? Heh, good decision. The more guns, the better," Jackson says, already knowing. T doesn't respond, but instead begins shaping the magnet with her knife, and doing the same with her inner thigh armor. It's unconventional, but it works. It can be used to conceal the weapon as well. After a bit, the magnet is attached to the armor, somehow it is staying in place, without being welded. T simply grabs some ammo, and looks at Jackson.  
"We leave in about four hours. _Inferno _is ready, but not her soldiers. Give them a bit of time," Jackson answers once more, already knowing the question. T nods, her usual response, and walks out.

**Roughly three-and-a-half hours later**

The camp is once more lively, and T notices the rest of Omega heading for the armory. She chuckles slightly, and looks around.  
"Once ready, board the ship," An AI's voice blares over the loudspeakers. His voice puts him as a typical twenty-first century drill-sargeant. T proceeds, hoping to get the bunks for her team in advance, trying to occupy herself.

Once on the _Spirit of the Inferno_ she notices specific signs separating Army, Marines, ODSTs, Rangers, and Air-Force. T follows the sign marked "ODSTs" for obvious reasons, and even realizes the doors for their quarters are labeled by squad. The side on her left is labeled "women", and the right is labeled "men". She enters Omega's female's designated quarters. Once inside, it looks as normal as any other ship, finally. T decides to take the bottom bunk on her right. Since she's a left handed shooter, if they're ever boarded for whatever reason, she can grab her rifle more efficiently. At this thought, she shakes her head, as no matter what, she looks at something tactically. Even a mall in an Earth-based city she would look at as a nice place to defend. T sets her Sniper Rifle on the bed, marking it as hers, as she goes to check out the rest of the ship. As always, most Marines avoid her, as Helljumpers are feared. Mostly because of the fact that they're seen as assholes. The Army guys avoid her as well, but that's because the Army and Marine Corps don't exactly get along well.

In her small walk about the ship, T begins to memorize the cryo bays, mess halls, and hangers. She bumps into an officer, and is about to apologize and salute, before he addresses her.  
"Sargeant Taleah?" He asks.  
T clenches her fists, hating being called her true name, and reluctantly answers, "Yes."  
"Come with me," He orders, and she notices the light reflect of an ONI badge.  
_Office of Naval Intelligence?_ T thinks, following him, _Oh, I'm going back to working with ONI, makes sense, it's why I'm on this ship. More augmentations? Murder missions? Backstabbing my teammates?_ Before she can figure it out for herself, he leads her into a special room, labeled "ONI personnel only".  
"This is your specific Cryo bay, T. Also, right down the hall is the ONI meeting room. Today, when 'Office Day' is called over the intercom, you go to the room. Tomorrow it's 'Meeting Day'. It rotates between the two, and it's not always called. Got it?" He finishes, the end sounded a bit more menacing than the rest of the information. T simply nods.  
"Good, I am Colonel Pyrelog, you may go." With that, T heads back to her quarters.

T passes the mess hall, but is stopped. The ONI area is on the other side of the mess hall than her living space, so she has to cross it. The mess hall is arranged as usual, long tables with TV's on each end for briefing, and a large area to go grab food. Though, there's only one thing different, and that would be the two tables moved, blocking any way to go to the other side. The reason for this: a fight. An Army Ranger faces off with an ODST nearly twice his size, but the fight is pretty even. The small guy can move fast. Then again, T knows this, being probably the shortest soldier in the entire UNSC. Soon enough, T finds herself in the 'front row' of the fight. She easily recognizes the ODST's armor. Cole, of course him of all people would pick a fight with a Ranger. She sighs, shaking her head. Cole swings low, lower than he normally has to, to hit the soldier. Cole hits the Ranger on his right thigh, causing him to buckle slightly. Cole takes advantage of this by lifting him up by the head. The Ranger, being small compared to Cole, simply flails in the air. Everyone laughs in the mess hall, including the fellow Rangers, Army men, and T. It all falls silent quickly, and Cole looks around. Judging by his franticness he already knows that an officer is on deck.  
A marine confirms this by yelling, "Officer on deck!" Almost everyone salutes. Almost. The few who don't get death-glares, but nothing is said.  
"What is the meaning of this?" The officer asks. He is none other than Pyrelog, and T can't help but shake her head at Cole.  
"Sir, we were simply settling an argument man-to-man," Cole says, saluting. In his Salute, he dropped the Ranger from nearly two feet off the ground, without warning. The Ranger stands up and dusts himself off.  
"Yessir, it won't happen again!" The Ranger says through a busted lip. Cole nor the Ranger were wearing their helmets, but had the other sections of armor on.  
"It better not, otherwise I'll have to settle it myself. I'll drop you in space, that includes spectators!" Pyrelog growls.  
"Understood, sir!" Is the universal response. T salutes, as her voice doesn't need to be added.  
"Clean this mess up, ODST, Ranger, get to your quarters. Double-Time! I'll treat you two like you're in Boot Camp again!" Pyrelog says. Cole and the Ranger stand dazed.  
"Did you fucking hear me!? Go!" This time they got the message, as Cole begins a hasty jog, but the Ranger goes in a full sprint, barely keeping up. T walks off, following Cole. _Eventful already. This'll be a fun ride, _she thinks, opening the pneumatic door to her quarters.

_(This is how my chapters SHOULD be. See, this is where I'm becoming independent from the storyline, and I can play along more with the characters, and chapter length. For those of you who have read this long, I thank you. The next chapter is going to be an armor explanation of the characters, based on Halo: Reach's armor selection.)_


	14. Chapter 13: Omega's Armor

**Chapter 13**

August 28, 2552 Location: _Spirit of the Inferno_ Planet REACH

T enters her living quarters, instantly being greeted by Beka and Alyx.  
"Hey, T, thought you were stuck on the ground," Alyx jokes. Beka smiles slightly, as her helmet is off as usual.  
"Well, good morning I suppose. We have to head to the armory in a few minutes, replace this old armor," Beka informs T, which T only shrugs, as it passes time ever so slightly. Beka and Alyx tidy up their ends of the room, Beka taking the bunk above T, and Alyx getting her own on the other side. Soon the AI calls ODST squads A-M to the armory. Since there aren't many, T guesses they'll get called in a few minutes. T sits down, fiddling with her SRS99.  
"Hey, T, what's the deal with you and that rifle? You seem oddly attached to it," Alyx asks, trying to start a conversation with a question she's never been able to answer.  
"Sentimentalities," T answers after a moment's hesitation. Alyx looks at her for a moment. She almost says something, but the intercom cuts her off.  
"ODST squads N-Z to the armory," the AI calls. T stands up, walking off, in the lead of Omega's 'line' through the halls. After a few minutes of walking, they find themselves at the armory. A few Navy techies in charge of this section lead each squad to their armor, but there's only one techie per squad. T's first as she was there first.  
"If you would come this way, please," A young woman asks, obviously a FNG, but no one says anything. She leads T to a small section of the armory where five sets of armor are lined up.  
"Replacements, for any damaged pieces. Take it all, so if it gets damaged later, you can replace it then," The techie informs T. T simply nods, and picks each armor piece up respectively, looking it over. The item on top of the small pile is the helmet. It's a standard ODST helmet, just with a white line on the top, and a black tinted visor. The techie hands T a rucksack to carry the items. T nods in thanks, and the techie waits for T to be done. The next item is a small data-pad, a TacPad actually. She puts the helmet and TacPad in the rucksack before going back to the armor. The next item is her chest-piece. It's an average Kevlar vest with some ghillie mesh that goes around her neck. She could take more, but prefers the small amount. In the ghillie there is thermal plating that nullifies or even neutralizes her thermal signature. Though, thermal isn't what has to be worried about when fighting the covvies. If they used thermal, there would be no use considering they used superheated plasma. T stows away her chest-piece, which is the part that most definitely needs replaced. Her shoulder-pads sit side-by-side, and she picks each up respectively. For her right shoulder is a large metal plate, commonly known as the CQC pad. Since she's a left handed shooter, the pad is on her right shoulder to block incoming fire. Again, not very useful against plasma, but whatever works. The other shoulder-pad is a small metal plate with four slots. The slots can hold the SRS' bullets within them, more or less as a last resort. They also signify the user as a sniper without asking. They're more aesthetic than anything. The last items are her standard ODST combat boots, utility belt, and knife holster. Her knee-pads are slightly larger than normal, but are also lighter. More protection for less weight, why not? All of Omega has this style of knee-pad, for the obvious reason. T also carries a small pouch with medical supplies on her right leg, but it's not an armor part, so it isn't here. It's actually on her person now. T puts the last pieces of armor in the rucksack before turning and leaving. The techie leads her out.  
"Thanks," T says.  
"Er, you're welcome…?" The techie says, obviously aware of T's reputation of quietness. T heads back to the living quarters without waiting for anyone else. She stores the armor in the footlocker on her bunk. She organizes the armor by head, torso, legs, and then the boots. It is simple organization that almost everyone in the UNSCDF uses. Not because it's regulation, which it isn't, more or less because of common sense. T replaces her Kevlar vest along with her ghillie, before sitting on the bed. Roughly ten minutes later Alyx and Beka come in.  
"Someone didn't wait up," Alyx says sarcastically.  
"Alyx, you forget, T doesn't stand around and talk pointlessly," Beka says with a slight glare, something happened while T was gone, but she doesn't quite care enough.  
"Anyways, I see you've already replaced some armor. Do you ever take that stuff off though?" Beka continues, wearing fatigues now, along with Alyx.  
"Sometimes; rarely," T answers.  
"Though so,"  
Alyx pulls her armor out of her rucksack, and T takes note to remember it accordingly. Her Kevlar armor is obvious, and then she pulls out the several different pouches. Each for different things, such as different ammo types, grenades, possibly even medical supplies. T never really knew what were in those pouches. Oddly, they were a configuration for recon units, not point-men. Or in this case Point-Alyx. Alyx then pulled out her helmet, putting the helmet in the footlocker. She continued with her shoulder pads next, pulling out one FJ/PARA shoulder-pad and an OPERATOR shoulder-pad. Those are airborne unit pads. The rest of her armor is pretty much stock ODST stuff, with the occasional 'Armor-Tat' here or there. 'Armor-Tats' are like designs on the armor, custom designs. Alyx's are varied, some of them are birds, and some are weapons. The only one that is multiple is shotguns/shotgun shells. Alyx begins organizing hers, while Beka begins pulling out her stuff.

T missed her first few pieces, but she notices that they were the boots, knee-pads, the stock stuff. Beka pulls out a bunch of pouches similar to Alyx's, but these are definitely different. They contain mostly ammo, but some contain actual recon material. T knows this because Beka is taking a few moments to fill them. Her shoulders are two FJ/PARA pads. The final piece she takes out that sets her apart from the rest of Omega is her helmet. The helmet is an Air Assault helmet, a prototype ODST helmet. Once that is all away, T lays back, wondering what to do.

She mentally recalls Cole and Niko's armor. Cole's chest armor is what is known as Collar/Breacher. The armor is basically one big plate, with a neck cover. He has an ODST shoulder pad on his left arm, and a CQC 'plate' on his right. Niko's armor is the Grenadier chest-piece with two Gungnir shoulder pads. Once T has this all mentally noted, she notices that after all these years, she never took the time to remember her own squadmates' armor. She also realizes that only Beka and T have class-fitting armor. She laughs a bit at this. T sighs quietly, and stands up. She decides to take one more walk around the ship, before they lift off.


	15. Chapter 14: A (Not So) Friendly Spar

**Chapter 14**

August 28, 2552 Location: _Spirit of the Inferno_ Planet REACH

Stepping out into the corridor, T instantly bumps into a marine. She looks up a bit to see a familiar face. The marine must have recognized T as well.  
"T?" PFC DiLoreto asks, bewildered, "Didn't think I'd see you here." T nods slightly, before noticing the Sargeant patch on her shoulder.  
"Yeah, I'm no PFC anymore, I'm actually the same rank as you," Jamie says with a slight laugh. T feigns a short laugh, obviously in sarcasm.  
"Hey, I bet Axel will want to see you, wanna come?" Jamie asks. T nods, at least she has a goal for now. T follows Jamie through the crowded halls of the _Inferno, _until they reach one of the three firing ranges on-board. A few marines are firing their weapons. As they walk in, they turn and salute DiLoreto. _Huh, I guess she got a higher promotion, odd. _T thinks, as Jamie looks at them, confused.  
"Hey, idiots, I'm no officer. I'm enlisted, you don't have to salute," Jamie playfully tells them. T instantly recognizes two of them, Isaac Michaelson and Lucas Chuun.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," Isaac says, and then he notices T, "Holy shit, we get to work with her again?" He asks.  
"Not just her, but her whole squad," Jamie informs him. T notices two extra soldiers, whose names she doesn't know.  
Jamie seemed to be able to read her mind because she said, "That's Hannah Heinz and James Ike." They both nod at T, who nods back.  
"You can join us, firing at pictures of covvies, if you'd like," Jamie offers. T raises her Sniper Rifle in response, and follows Jamie to the ammo station. T grabs a few clips and joins them in the target practice.

After a few minutes of pointless ammunition burning, they stop firing. T got looks several times from the marines towards her extreme precision. As T fires the last shot, images flash in front of her. She takes a step back and blinks rapidly before it stops. She thinks about the images a moment, but they were things she doesn't quite remember. _Spartans, _is the first thought. She had special knowledge of SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III for a time, but the ONI spooks wiped that from her memory, though it still resides in her mind residually. _More things to haunt my dreams. What's next, augmentation day? _She taunts herself with the thought, and decides it's time to go back to the living quarters. She waves goodbye to the marines of Axel, and walks down the halls toward the barracks. A Ranger attempts to trip her, the very same Ranger that messed with Cole, but T stops as his foot darts into the narrow aisle between people. Though she's helmeted, T looks up at the Ranger, the death glare obvious.  
"You want some, shorty?" He taunts. In an instant, her fist flies into his stomach, and flies up into his chin. She then grabs his arm, which reflexively flew to his stomach, and throws him onto the floor.  
"Fuck with me, or my squad again, and you'll regret it," T growls, the Ranger's face went from confident, to confused, to scared for his life in seconds. T continues off towards Omega's quarters. _I surprised myself there… Odd, _she thinks, realizing that she actually fought another person. Shaking her head, she looks around. _The images, something happened that my mind's trying to recreate in modern time, the situation must be similar. _ Stepping into the room, she finds Beka and Alyx sparring. The pneumatic hiss of the door was hidden by the sound of Beka hitting the floor after a throw or trip, T didn't exactly see. Realizing she hadn't been noticed, T decides to sit on her bed and watch.

Beka rolls to her feet, barely dodging a kick to the ribs. Raising her forearm, she blocks a high kick from Alyx and counters with a jab to Alyx's stomach. Alyx coughs, the air escaping her body in one fell swoop. Beka takes advantage of this by a low kick to the stomach, and a follow-up jab to the cheek. Alyx stumbles back, but regains her footing. Beka, thinking Alyx is dazed, makes a move to swing at her face again, is dodged. Alyx moves to the left rapidly, sending Beka to the floor. Alyx then grabs Beka by the back of the neck, and raises her like it's nothing. A jab is landed on Beka's back, and then Alyx releases her. Beka stumbles back once on the floor and backs into the wall. Alyx rapidly lands blow after blow on Beka, before she slides down the wall, barely conscious. As Alyx is blindly swinging, T grabs her hand from behind as she winds up for another punch. She throws her back effortlessly, and looks at her a moment. T's still completely armored, and the sight brings Alyx back to reality.  
Beka coughs, before saying, "I… Never tapped." She laughs, before slumping over to the side, passed out.  
"I went overboard…Again, didn't I?" Alyx asks T. T simply nods, before helping Beka onto the bunk. The injuries aren't bad, so it's not worth a trip to the infirmary. T points to Beka, gesturing for Alyx to tell her why they were fighting.  
"We got bored, figured we'd spar. The gym's packed as fuck, and I'm not going to let a crowd of guys watch two girls fight. May as well do it here, right?" Alyx tells her, and T nods.  
"I went a bit overboard, and I ended up doing a little more than handing her ass to her. 'Oops'. I told her she wouldn't win, me being a CQB/CQC specialist and all. You know, I'm going to follow in Rebekka's footsteps and get some rest before we go to Cryo," Alyx finishes, before climbing on top of Beka's bunk. T decides to do the same, and pulls off her helmet. The balaclava made of a few bandanas is still on, and she slips into the bed, and into a rather dreamless sleep.


	16. Chapter 15: T

**Chapter 15**

August 29, 2552 Location: _Spirit of the Inferno _Epsilon Eridanus System

Alarms begin blaring, and Omega rises, wondering what's going on. T dons her helmet, and grabs her SRS99, glancing around the room. Alyx begins putting on armor pieces. Beka wakes up, looking around, and almost falls out of her bunk.  
"Ugh, feels like I just kissed a moving Warthog… Damn, that's the naval attack signal, isn't it?" She says, her speech slightly slurred from being half asleep. T nods to Beka, since Alyx is putting her armor on. T steps into the hallway, meeting with Niko and Cole.  
"Hurry up, we haven't got all day!" Niko orders Beka and Alyx. They promptly hurry, and are out in the hall no less than twenty seconds later. Omega Team begins moving toward the bridge, their designated area in case of boarding. Once on the bridge, T and Alyx take positions on either side of the door, and the others stand in other sections of the area. T pulls the suppressor off her M7 Submachine Gun, as she doesn't need it.  
"Might want to hold onto something, we're going into SlipSpace." A Navy woman tells Omega. They do as they were told, as it was more of an order than a suggestion. No one can help but to stare at the rip in space as they enter it. T opens the door, and begins heading towards her Cryo bay.  
"She's got the right idea, everyone to Cryo. Rai, can you handle the ship while I'm gone?" The Captain asks the ship's AI.  
"Yessir, I'll be fine, get some frost-induced rest," The AI replies. A few chuckles are heard throughout the room, as everyone starts toward the Cryo bay.

T enters the empty room, save for the single Cryo pod. She takes off her armor, and with a large amount of reluctance, she even removes the balaclava. She stores it in a small locker next to her pod. The pod opened upon her entering the room, and she steps into it. It closes automatically. The dreams begin almost instantly.

What have I gotten myself into? _Are my first thoughts, as I walk the halls. From my little understanding of my current situation, I believe I'm on Reach still. _Where am I though…?_ I shake the thoughts off, continuing my walk. I was ordered to head to Medbay 4, for some reason. I pass a clock, listing the time as noon. It also lists the date, though I only caught the year. 2536. Feels like it's been longer than that. I find myself at Medbay 4 in no time, and I enter.  
"Taleah?" A nurse, or doctor asks. I'm not sure of the difference. I nod, and she walks me toward a room. There is one lone table, surrounded by robotic arms with needles and other medical things. She gestures for me to lie on the table, and I have no choice but to comply, so I do so. Once I lay down I am strapped to the table. She leaves the room right after. The robotic arms begin moving a few minutes later. The first one descends, jabbing me with a needle. It hurts for a moment, but then the pain is instantly gone. Many others begin doing the same, but I don't feel it at all. I realize that I can't move my more major muscles. Around twenty minutes later, they stop. I regain control of my muscles, and instantly sit up. I end up actually snapping the restraints. _What…? _I think astonished. Then the pain comes. I double over, it being the second worst pain I have ever felt. I stand up only seconds later, ignoring it. Everything seems to be moving slower, and my body is barely in sync with my mind. It feels like my arms move before I tell them to. I hear a faint _whirring _noise, and I look up involuntarily. I see the robotic arms moving up into a compartment in the ceiling. I see the label on one of the needles. _S-III/IV P. _I ponder over what it could mean, but I suddenly collapse, out cold on the cold metal floor. The next thing I see is Jackson at her desk back at Camp…_


	17. Chapter 16: Beka

**Chapter 16**

August 29, 2552 Location: _Spirit of the Inferno_ Cryo Chamber

Beka

Beka follows the rest of her squad to the Cryo chambers. Lucky enough, the male section and the female section of the Cryo bay is separated, unlike most ships. She heads to her own chamber, right next to Alyx's. _Huh, where's T?_ Beka thinks for a moment. She looks around, seeing her nowhere around. Alyx is already in her pod, so Beka sighs and does the same. She takes off all the armor pieces and such, and lies back in the pod. The drugs begin acting on her, forcing her to dream…

_I wake up, lying in my bed. _Another day, great. I get to go to school and have an average fucking life. As average as it gets on New Harmony, I suppose._ I think angrily. I sigh and get dressed. Once I'm done, I walk out the door. My parents aren't home, as usual. I begin the long walk to the school. _People say High School sucks, and I'm having problems with seventh grade, you're kidding me. _The thought passes through me, as I ascend the steps into the school. I sit down, being almost late. The teacher begins one of his typical stories about when he used to be in the military and all that bullshit. I wait for the class to actually start. Half an hour after the class starts, a large _crack_ booms through the halls, along with a scream.  
"Get into the corner, remember the active shooter drill," Mr. Mulch says calmly. We all hurry to the corner. The door is busted down seconds later, and three armed men step in. _This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening. _Is all that I can say to myself. My teacher tackles the first man, and the second levels his gun with Mr. Mulch. I run forward on instinct, smacking the gun down and punching him in the gut as hard as possible. It causes him to flinch slightly, and the shot to miss. _What the hell did I just do…? _I ask myself, as he raises the gun back up. Mr. Mulch shoots him in the back, and elbows the third one, before shooting him. For some reason, I'm not really hurt at seeing Innies being shot. It actually excites me. _Great, I'm already fucked up in the head… _Mr. Mulch grabs my arm, and gestures for the others to follow him. No one does.  
"There's a fucking bomb, get moving now!" He orders, bringing back a military tone that definitely backs up his story about being in the military at one point. Still, no one moves. I look at him, and I nod. He shoots the ceiling, causing everyone to move. They run for the nearest exit, and we do the same. Once outside, Mr. Mulch drops the gun, and forces us to move faster. There were more in the building; I know that from the gunfire. There were many more. Mr. Mulch and I are in the front, and everyone behind me gets cut down. He pushes me behind a car, as we've reached the street. Now it gets to me.  
"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Is the only response I have to the situation. Mr. Mulch waits for the gunfire to stop, before picking me up like I was a toddler, and running like hell to the other side of the street, and the safety of a house. He kicks down the door, and dives in as a crescendo of automatic fire hits the house. He sets me down, and we both breathe a sigh of relief. Above us, a plane of some sort flies toward the school. The gunfire begins, cutting down all the resistance. Footsteps are heard coming from the entrance, and Mr. Mulch stands up, hands in the air. The person laughs suddenly.  
"Mulch? No effin' way!" He says.  
"Henricson, good to see you."  
"How you been doing these days?" Henricson asks.  
"Fine, other than this. Speaking of which, there's one person here that you need to take away from here. She has nothing left, and I think it'd be good to start a military career early. I know a good soldier when I see one," Mr. Mulch says to Henricson, and gestures to me. I stand, and I walk towards the soldier.  
"Meet Rebekka, she'll do fine," Mulch says.  
_Way to volunteer me, I'm totally okay with that. _The looks on their faces tell me that I said that out loud. I sigh.  
"Beka, your parents are dead as well. They were actually at the school, where the shooting started," Mulch informs me. _How does he know that?_  
"You know, whatever. Anywhere's better than here." I tell him, and I walk towards the soldier.  
_I never knew I'd be fighting fucking aliens. _The Cryo-induced version of me chimes in._


	18. Chapter 17: Alyx

**Chapter 17**

August 29, 2552 Location: _Spirit of the Inferno _Cryo chamber

Alyx

Alyx finds herself at the front of the group, well, _far_ in front of the group. Not only is she the first of her squad to reach the Cryo bay, but she's the first person on the ship. First female soldier at least, she's not too sure about the guys' bay. Alyx begins taking off her armor and such, before hopping into her Cryo pod. She takes one last breath before succumbing to the Cryo sleep.

_"See ya, mom!" Are my first words of the day. I walk out of my house, if it can be called that. It's more or less a shack, one normal sized room with a bunch of beds in it. No TV, no holopads, none of that. We're one of the unfortunate few of the twenty-sixth century. I meet up with a few of my friends a few blocks away. I look at the distant skyline of New Mombasa while James goes over some stupid plan to steal from one of the rich guys.  
"So, what do you think, Alyx?" Til asks.  
"Wha?" I reply stupidly, barely paying attention.  
"James' plan, you know, to go after Miller "McMoneyPants?" Til says after a long sigh.  
"No offense James, but we're all only thirteen years old," I say to him, "He's gonna have some security, you know, guns?"  
"I know, but my older brother said he'd help," James says glumly. His older brother is a giant. He's fifteen, yet he measures almost seven feet, and weighs at least two-hundred in pure muscle.  
"If you can back that up, I'm in," I say to him. Til looks at me like I'm insane.  
"What? Ike is a freakin' monster. I could go for some fresh bread once in a while," I confess.  
"Whatever, if Alyx is in, I am too," Til says reluctantly.  
"Yay! I'll get him, meet me at the park." James says before running off. I walk off to the park, leaving Til behind for a few minutes._

_ About ten minutes later, James and his brother walk into the park.  
"Well, you CAN back it up. I'm in, as promised," I say with a smile.  
"Yeah, as promised, I follow Alyx," Til says, gloomy as usual.  
"I'm with you on one condition: stay behind me, do as I say," Ike says, his voice deeper than I thought possible. Til and I can only nod in response.  
"Good, follow me," He says, walking off before we can react. We almost have to sprint to catch up, but soon we're doing a fast-paced walk. He raises his hand, and we guess to stop.  
"Alyx, boost James up that wall. James, once inside press the blue button on the pad to open the gate. I'll watch your back," He tells us. We nod, and I help boost James, me being taller than him.  
James lands with a thud on the other side, and says as quietly as possible, "I'm okay!" Soon after, the gate begins rising creaking from its old age. We hurry inside before it closes.  
"Okay, you all grab whatever you can carry. I'll make sure nothing gets close. Once you all have your stuff, I'll go in and grab whatever I can carry while you watch my back, alright?" He explains. We only nod in reply. He waves his hand, telling us to go. We all separate, planning to meet back in the foyer. I head to the wing to my left, Til heads upstairs, and James heads to the right wing._

_I find myself instantly at the kitchen. I feel lucky as I look at all the riches. _Don't go for what tastes the best, go for what'll get you far. _I tell myself. I grab a lot of bread and some meat. I recognize some of it as beef and chicken, but one slab I don't recognize. _Whatever, it's edible. _I tell myself once more. I gather some vegetables and fruits and make a hasty walk for the foyer. I make sure I don't drop anything on the way out. I realize I spent more time than I thought in there, but I'm still the last to arrive. It looks like there were three kitchens.  
"Let's go," I say quickly. They nod and we half walk, half run to the door. Once outside we meet up with Ike. He nods, and points to a place where we should pile it for now. Once we do that, he heads inside. About ten to fifteen minutes later, an alarm blazes, and a large crack is heard inside.  
_Gunfire.

_Ike bursts out of the main door, three officers after him. One fires a shot from a tazer into Ike's back. He falls on the ground and convulses. I turn around to run, but Til and James are gone, and I fall to the ground, spazzing similarly to Ike._

_ I wake up several hours later, sitting in a room. Minutes afterward, a man in a suit that doesn't fit the current time period walks in.  
"Hello," He greets me, "I am Major Pyrelog. You have been caught in an act of treason. The building you were stealing from is the house of a General in the UNSC. His name is irrelevant," Pyrelog informs me.  
"You have two choices, a very long time in prison, or joining the UNSC. Choose wisely," He says bluntly. _UNSC? Getting away from home? Hell yeah!_  
"I pick military," I reply just as bluntly.  
"Huh, I figured you'd be harder. I had to… 'Convince' your friends. Good choice," He says with a devilish smile. I gulp.  
_Y'know, home wasn't too bad after all. _ I think after the dream-turned-memory stops._


	19. Chapter 18: Cole

**Chapter 18**

August 29, 2552 Location: _Spirit of the Inferno _Cryo chamber

Cole

Cole looks at Niko before putting his rucksack down, and taking off his armor and undersuit. They nod at each other before sitting in the Cryo pods simultaneously. _Fun-time Dream-time starts now. _Cole thinks, as he falls into Cryo sleep.

_I wake up, lifting my head off my car's steering wheel. _Oh, damn. How long was I out? _I ask myself. I climb out of the car and look at the other, noticing the occupants are dead.  
"Oh shit, oh fuck. Goddamn, no," I stammer, unable to think straight. I look back at my car and sigh.  
Then it caught fire.  
"Shit, fuck, damn!" I say the three words quickly, unable to tell which one fits. I dive over the now destroyed guard-rail and tumble down the small hill. Once I'm done rolling, a large crack is heard, accompanied by a large fireball at the top. I begin to stand up, in pain from the fall. I dust myself off for a few moments, unsure what to do next. I decide to walk to the local hospital, since my phone was in the car and I'm not too injured to walk. I start walking for about ten seconds until I hear the weirdest sound I've ever heard. It's almost a screaming sound, but at the same time it sounds like a really quiet Pelican. Those two sounds are accompanied by a whirring noise.  
"What the hell?" I ask no one in particular, before it flies over me. Its shape is unlike anything I've ever seen before, and it's purple. _The UNSC doesn't use purple. _I tell myself. It turns back around, and blue blobs begin appearing from the front.  
"Why me?" I ask, as I've already used my cussing a little too much. I run for it, sliding behind a rock. The blobs land on the ground. They superheat it to a molten glass. _I'm still out cold in the car… I'm still out cold in the car… _I convince myself, but it turns back around and begins firing again. I run again, heading for the nearest building. One blob gets a little too close and actually causes my shirt to catch fire. I put it out, a good portion of my right arm burned badly.  
"Not a dream," I confirm. I run through the building, thanking my now-deceased football coach for all those drills, and dive out the other side. A Transport variant of the UNSC's ever-so-popular Warthog pulls over and one of the passengers yells at me.  
"Get the fuck in! This place was evac'ed hours ago! C'mon!" He barks. I have no choice but to comply as I sit down.  
"What the fuck's going on?" I squeak to the marine. Oddly, we're the same size, though he is much older than I. _Sixteen and marine-sized, being evacuated from Jericho, which can only mean one thing… _I think as he answers.  
"The planet's under attack from some squid-faced aliens called 'Covenant' or some shit. All civvies were evacuated hours ago, what the hell happened to you?" He answers.  
"Car crash, I guess before this all happened," I tell him.  
"You look like you haven't eaten in days, what day was it that you got in it?" He asks.  
"The… Eighth?" I answer, not entirely sure.  
"Buddy, it's the tenth."  
"Oh, shit…"  
"That's an understatement. You're in good hands now."  
"Yeah, I guess." I say, and the conversation ends there. I am practically pushed into a Pelican full of refugees, and we're sent up to some ship. From there, I am told all able-bodied people are going to Reach to become soldiers. _Thanks for saving my ass. Oh, I'm going to have to do your bidding from now on because of that? Yeah, suuuure, I'm cool with that. _ I joke in my head as we're escorted to the Cryo Bay. I am told to remove my clothing and lay in the pod. Still in shock, I comply and I sit in the pod. The next thing I feel is a lot of cold, and then darkness, followed by random dreams._


	20. Chapter 19: Niko (Part 1)

**Chapter 19**

August 29, 2552 Location: _Spirit of the Inferno_

Niko

Niko begins following the rest of the group out of the bridge, but Colonel Pyrelog stops him.  
"Gunnery Sergeant," He addresses.  
"Sir?" Niko asks, standing at attention.  
"I know you and your squad, hell all of the ship is wondering why we're just abandoning Reach in her time of need. Truth is, we're going to lose Reach, that much is inevitable. Where we're headed is most likely _much _more important than Reach at the moment. I'm… Sorry about your homeworld, Niko," He finishes.  
"No problem, sir. I knew it was coming one day, and I'll die before I watch it burn," Niko answers.  
"I like that, dismissed." Niko nods to Pyrelog, salutes, and starts jogging towards Cryo. Niko reaches the male section, realizing he's one of the last to arrive. He sighs, pulling his armor off and putting his weapons close. He lays back in the pod, ready for what comes next.

_I reach for another drink, but I stop myself. My girlfriend stares at me oddly for a moment.  
"Why aren't you drinkin'," She hiccups, "-anymore?" She asks. I shake my head.  
"Why the hell are we doing this? There's got to be more to do...," I say.  
"Dude, is that the pot talking?" Jordan, my brother, asks.  
"No, I didn't have any for the fourth goddamned time. Look, I don't know about you, but I think I'm going clean," I say angrily.  
"Dude, we've been doing this for like… Eight years, you can't just quit now? What's gotten into you?" Lola, my girlfriend's name, asks.  
"Insurrection has, they hit New Harmony, killed my cousin. My younger cousin's enlisted, I'm going too," I answer gruffly, "I want something more than drinking and sitting around. Where'll this get us? Prison most likely. You two can try to stop me, but I'm going now." They watch me walk away, heading off to nowhere specific, just walking away from them, getting sober, and getting over the hangover. _

Three Days Later

_I yawn, walking out into the streets of New Alexandria. I finally made it here by public transport. I walk one of the main streets in New Alexandria until I see a large moving billboard. It shows a member of each branch of the UNSC standing armed with their typical weapons. It also shows the year: 2526. A Marine holding a M392 DMR, the Army Trooper is holding an MA37 are shown. I know about weapons because my father sold them, though I don't know about ships too much. The Navy shows what I believe to be a _Marathon-Class _ship. I could be wrong, whatever. The Air Force shows a pelican, loaded with a fuckton of missiles, miniguns and all that. I remember hearing somewhere back when Earth was the only planet humanity had they had a branch called the Coast Guard. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, either way it doesn't exist nowadays. It's replaced by Colonial Militias. They're created for worlds that don't have too much UNSC protection. Harvest was like that, and then it disappeared one day. Billboard aside, I turn and follow the arrow. It points to the right down another main street. I finally see the UNSC Recruitment Office. _This is going to be great, questions and all that shit. _I think, walking in._

Two Months Later

_Turns out there weren't many questions, only if I knew how to shoot, yell, and run. Hell fuckin' yeah I can. I apparently actually was eligible for the ODSTs. Yep, Ohh-Dee-Ess-Fuckin'-Tees. I didn't complain at all, considering I'd be one of the UNSC's best. I walk out of the ship's Cryo Bay, heading to my quarters. I don't really remember the ship's name, but it isn't military, so I don't really give two shits. I think I'm already adopting the ODST attitude, probably one of the reasons they put me directly into the ODST training. Okay, 'maybe'. I sit down, across from two guys from New Harmony, and next to my bunk-mate, a giant born in Reach, raised on Eridanus II. All alone farther to my right is some guy born on Earth, raised some other place. I look at the giant a moment and he nods. I return the nod, before the ship's AI begins speaking.  
"Arriving at Planet [Mars] in [3] [hours]," The Dumb AI tells us, with prerecorded terms.  
"Finally, been too long," My bunk-mate says.  
"Agreed," I mutter. A female officer walks toward us.  
"Ooh, ain't you pretty," The Earth-born says with a smile. The officer gestures to her pistol, safety off, and the smile on his face fades.  
"Good thing you're all gettin' along, because you're a squad," She says, with a beautiful smile, devilish, but beautiful nonetheless. I actually take a moment to notice her facial features, as I've been staring elsewhere. She's extremely tall, with a badly scarred face. The scars aren't too bad to take away from her overall appearance, but I digress. Her eyes are a strange blue-grey color. One last thing, she's of African descent. I read her nametag, "Jackson".  
"Alright then, got a name?" I ask.  
"Not yet, that's for your drill instructors to choose," She says again with that smile. Or is it a grin? I dunno, by the time that thought had passed, she had gone.  
"Since we're a squad, I think we should get to know each other. I'm Doug Nix," The taller New Harmonian man says.  
"I'm John Daton," The other one says with a friendly smile.  
I shake their hands, as does the Earth-born and the giant.  
"I'm Niko, Niko Kreshkov," I say with a broad smile, loving the way my last name sounds.  
"Kreshkov? No way, I'm Uri Kreshkov," The giant booms, grinning like a kid on Christmas. Forgive the figure-of-speech, those of you that are Jewish, Orthodox, or whatever the hell other religion you may have. I'm personally not any of those, not really Atheist, but not belonging to a church.  
"Uri… Uri… Ah! Is your mother Lynn?" I ask.  
"Yeah, that's her name alright."  
"Then we're cousins, my mom was June," I say, my feelings becoming conflicted talking about my mother, yet meeting a cousin I all but forgot about.  
"Anyways, it's nice to meet you two. I'm Drake Moore," The Earth-born says. We all shake hands once more. We notice a crowd of people heading to the ship's mess hall, so we decide to follow._

Three Hours Later

_Stuffed with food and full of energy I get off the ship, following my new squad. I realize the barracks are labeled for the platoon. The officer at the front must be leading us to some kind of meeting to introduce us to our Drill Sergeants and all that stuff. We eventually stop and I stand next to my cousin. Everything gets silent as the officer named Jackson begins her speech.  
"Hello to you all, I am Lieutenant Jackson. As you all know, you will be training here to be the UNSC's finest. ODSTs. Your Drill Sergeants while you are here on Mars will be Staff Sergeant Minh Jenson and Staff Sergeant Ryan Manson. Depending on your platoon you will get one or the other. That is all I have to say, you are all dismissed after you are issued your clothing, rucksack, and your hat," She finishes. She steps off the stage and walks away, heading back to the ship.  
"She's leaving?" I ask Uri, who only shrugs. A couple of normal Marines hand out clothing. I can't help but smile at the fact that one day I'll be more badass than these guys.  
"What're you smiling at, meat?" The marine handing me my clothing asks.  
"Nothing, douchebag, sir!" I say. The next thing I see is the dirt, and I feel a boot on the back of my head.  
"You know, I already like you, you've got the spirit, now let's see if you have the body to be an ODST," I hear another voice. The boot is lifted and I'm forced to my feet. I look at him to see it's Staff Sergeant Jenson. His heavy Asian features are the first thing I notice. If I was any more stupid than I already am, I would've commented, but I didn't feel like kissing the dirt anymore.  
"Run to your bunk, A-Platoon, now! Go! Go! Go!" He barks. Damn he's mean, I didn't think people could sound like dogs.  
"What was that!?" He yells after me as I start to go.  
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" I curse over and over, hating that I think out loud way too much. He catches up with me in seconds, so I stop and turn. I narrowly dodge a swing. He hesitates for a follow-up for only a fraction of a second. He brings up his knee and I jump over him. Literally over him. I land and turn, avoiding hitting him and run for the bunk. I run faster than I thought possible and get there in what I swear to be a world record. I dive into a random bunk, afraid for my life. I hear the door open and close; heavy boots clatter on the floor. I look at Jenson, no fear shows. I stand up, sizing him up. He's much larger than me, but only taller by an inch or two.  
"You know what? I like you. You can move, and you've got balls. I'll remember this for training, though. You'll be the first one in The Pit," He says with a large, hearty laugh. I smile stupidly, though. I could care less to be the first one in, which means I'm the first one out. He shakes his head and walks out. A few minutes later the rest of my squad and a few from my platoon walk in.  
"Jesus. You pissed him off, what the hell happened in here after?" Drake asks.  
"Nothing, he actually likes me," I manage to say, hardly believing my own words.  
"You've already got us a squad name, asshole. We're the Bullfrogs," John says.  
"Eh, not too bad in my opinion," Doug says. I shrug and lay down in the bunk I've already crashed into. I pass out only minutes later._

(Hello to all reading, this is part 1 of 2 for Niko's backstory. These first person POV chapters will end after the next few chapters, as I intend on doing Jackson/Pyrelog's backstory and a look through the eyes of a captain who once commanded the _Spirit of the Inferno_. Yes, the _Spirit_ is named in honor of the _Spirit of Fire_ in Halo Wars. I really don't have much left to say, other than to send all questions to the GamerTag "Dillsanno" on Xbox Live. Thanks for reading, seriously. It's probably not the best Fanfic ever, but I've put effort into it and it's getting better every chapter. The story will pick up after the "backstory curve", so it won't remain this boring. Thanks for reading, have a nice day. ~OmegaOfficial/Dillsanno)


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